get on the bus!

It was admittedly a slow day in Durham. Lacking anything else better to do, we recruited a friend to join us on an adventure–an inaugural trip around Durham on the brand new Bull City Connector bus. We decided on an abbreviated tour this time out by boarding at Whole Foods and heading downtown. The kids anxiously waited for the bus to arrive, lamenting other buses that passed us by. (“But why can’t we get on that bus?” Uh, because we don’t want to end up in Chapel Hill today??) My friend wanted to know how much the bus cost–“A Fare FREE Route.” Hmmm, what could that slogan ever mean??

Finally our bus arrived, my son bullied his way past the other waiting patrons, and we headed to the row of seats at the back of the bus. We were off.

The kids loved, loved, loved it. The adults loved, loved, loved how neat and tidy the bus was as it was only its second day of operation. The bus was moderately full allowing us to spread out:

The kids favorite part of the afternoon: switching seats on the bus to get a better view or to get away from the moms.

Mama’s least favorite part: the nauseating new car smell of the bus, though I’d imagine that it is better than the alternative.

All in all, a fun afternoon, but it leaves me wondering why the connector bus is more exciting than just riding the city bus to the mall or downtown or something. Is it because it’s absolutely free saving me a $2 round-trip fare for the three of us? Is it because of the exciting paint job on the buses? Is it because it goes in a relatively quick loop tour of downtown? Is it because it’s still new and clean?